Bachelor of Journalism with Concentration in Health Sciences

at Carleton University Canada

Neuroscience is a new, exciting, and rapidly expanding scientific discipline that aims to understand how physical processes in our brains underlie complex functions such as movement, sensation, memory, emotion, consciousness and thought. Faculty and students in Neuroscience are particularly interested in how diseases that affect the brain lead to mental health problems, with the focus of our research including depression, Parkinson’s disease, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease and concussion. Our research, like our academic programs, integrates information from many disciplines including medicine, molecular biology, psychology, immunology, genetics, chemistry and epidemiology.

Carleton’s English program ranges from some of the most famous names in English writing to lesser-known authors, taking into account regional, national and global perspectives. You will have a chance to discuss the pressing issues and enduring ideas behind literature, as well as examine the ways in which books spring from cultural contexts and fit into the arc of literary history. You will explore how British and Canadian literary traditions have evolved and how alternative, underground and non-Western voices trouble and enrich those traditions. You may take workshops in creative writing and drama, either as electives or in the context of the department’s concentrations in Creative Writing and Drama Studies. We also offer a minor in Professional Writing, as well a minor in Drama Studies.

Carleton’s innovative philosophy programs offer courses ranging over the history of philosophy, ethics and social/political philosophy, philosophy of mind and language, metaphysics and epistemology. Starting in first year, you will have the opportunity to take a seminar class (of 30 students) that challenges you to develop your skills in reading philosophical texts and making philosophical arguments. In second year, you will take two courses that are offered just for philosophy majors, ensuring that you have the skills you need to do your best. In fourth year, you will study in seminar classes where the professors share with you, at your level, the new knowledge that they are helping to create.

We live in a world on the move. Not only are there more than 200 million people now living outside their country of their birth, but new technologies have allowed for the movement of ideas around the world and connections between communities like never before. Behind the statistics are the lived experiences of migrants themselves, the contributions they make to their new societies and the links that they sustain with their countries and communities of origin. This multidisciplinary specialization is the first undergraduate program in Canada to address the intertwined phenomena of refugees, migration, mobility and diasporas that shape the modern world. It brings together a broad spectrum of practitioners and academics from the humanities and the social sciences to examine the cultural, social, economic and political implications of the movement and transnational settlement of people. It supports historically informed and forward looking accounts of cultural and social identities, diversity and integration, exile and memory, forced migration and refugee communities. It prepares globally conscious students for journeys of intellectual discovery and rewarding careers in public service, creative industries, cultural institutions such as museums, migration and humanitarian INGOs, and migration and settlement-related agencies, as well as for Law School and graduate programs in a variety of disciplines. 

For those who wish to gain an in-depth understanding of world culture and history while studying journalism, Carleton offers a Bachelor of Journalism and Humanities degree. Students in this intensive degree program spend about 40 per cent of their time taking core journalism courses. They receive professional training in writing and reporting, professional ethics and media law, and learn the skills appropriate to newspaper, radio, television and new media journalism. BJ-Hum students spend the rest of their time studying art history, classics, literature, philosophy, political science and religion. Few degree programs provide such a balance between focus and breadth.

Where better to study politics than the nation’s capital? Our location in Ottawa provides you with numerous chances to see politics not only nationally but internationally. You will examine such topics of study as international relations, transitions to democracy, parties and elections, globalization and social movements, and the culture and ideas of politics. You can focus on one of eight areas of study: Canadian Politics; Comparative Politics and Area Studies (Global North); Comparative Politics and Area Studies (Global South); Gender and Politics; International Relations; North American Politics; Political Theory; and Public Affairs and Policy Analysis.

International or local exchanges are an exciting possibility during your third year, and you may also choose to undertake an internship of your choosing, with permission of the undergraduate supervisor. In fourth year, an internship with the Washington Center is an option for consideration.

Where better to study politics than the nation’s capital? Our location in Ottawa provides you with numerous chances to see politics not only nationally but internationally. You will examine such topics of study as international relations, transitions to democracy, parties and elections, globalization and social movements, and the culture and ideas of politics.

International or local exchanges are an exciting possibility during your third year, and you may also choose to undertake an internship of your choosing, with permission of the undergraduate supervisor. In fourth year, an internship with the Washington Center is an option for consideration.

How do people interact with nature, and how does this impact the environment? How do societies transform nature? The environment consists of a complex set of human and natural systems of which people are an important, and sometimes dominant, element. Decisions made by individuals, institutions, governments, industries and other actors have the ability to impact the environment in both direct and indirect ways, with consequences for future generations. Understanding the costs and benefits of development and conservation, as well as the underlying values and ethical guidelines for good environmental practice are critical for informed environmental decision-making. It is critical, to both the present and future state of the environment, that dialogue and policy are precautionary, evidence-based, thoughtful and inclusive.

The Environmental Studies program at Carleton University prepares students to be informed, skilled individuals who can participate effectively in the resolution of environmental problems and in the larger environmental debates critical to our future. The program is interdisciplinary and flexible, so that students can focus on the conservation of natural systems, natural resource management, environmental organizations and institutions, sustainable economies, environmental education and activism, or research.

Professionals working with children and youth face many challenges involving complex relationships with families, communities and governments. Childhood and Youth Studies at Carleton prepares you for careers in this demanding area. The program was originally developed for graduates of Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs, but the broader scope of the new curriculum allows for entry into the program without an ECE diploma. Through core courses in childhood and youth studies, as well as other relevant disciplines, you will learn about a wide range of topics (e.g., children’s rights, policy and practice) pertaining to children and youth in Canada and around the world.

Language is an essential part of what it is to be human and this program gives you the opportunity to examine how language works in real life. The field of Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies develops and applies theories to solve everyday problems involving language. Course materials address such questions as how languages are taught and learned, how language competencies are evaluated, how writing is used to perform a variety of functions, how language is used in specific social contexts, how language can influence society and vice versa, how government policies influence language practices and what makes a bilingual education program effective.